Hebrews 8:8-13

Hebrews 8:8-13 But God found fault with the people and said: “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Matthew 20:34-35 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

God's new covenant goes out to whosoever will: believers are his chosen people. In the Old Testament, the chosen were an ethnic people known as the children of Israel. Jewish men were circumcised as physical evidence that they were God's people led by the law of righteousness given to them through Moses. They tried to fulfill this law through their fleshly efforts, but they could not keep the law and fell from God's grace, for their hearts were not circumcised. Since they continually disobeyed God and went whoring after other gods, He judged them and dispersed them throughout all nations. Were they still God's people? Yes, but they too needed their hearts circumcised by accepting Christ. A man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. (Romans 2:29) Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:27-31) Every jot and tittle of the law was fulfilled in us through Christ's death and resurrection. By faith in his finished work, we no longer live in our righteousness but in his.

Christians, whether Jew or Gentile are the house of Israel referred to in the above passage. We who allow God to circumcise our hearts have the privilege to be God's chosen, the ones who receive the promise: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. This proclamation applies only to the people of God, those whose hearts have been circumcised by the Holy Spirit. We who place our faith and trust in Jesus are now his spiritual household, the house of Abraham, his chosen ones, blessed by Abraham's SEED, Jesus Christ. Now God's people must live by faith in Christ because the Bible says the just will live by faith and will inherit God's domain, HIS PRESENCE. Do we replace the ethnic Jew? No, God chose them for honor, and He will deal with them in his way.

The Holy Spirit writes God's law, his righteousness, on the hearts of believers. We no longer discover God through the priesthood or through another person. We do not go to the temple to offer sacrifices for sin and to find God, for we know him in our hearts, from the least to the greatest. The Spirit in us testifies of God and his Son: Christians know God because He is in us and we are in him. We know God's greatness and his mercy because He resides within our spirits. We hear his voice, yield to him, and we follow his dictates; this is God's promise of the Spirit to us. Jesus said He must go away so He could send the Holy Spirit who would reside in all believers. We who are alive IN CHRIST have the gift of the Holy Spirit, and He desires to reap a harvest in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Today's scriptures have been fulfilled in us; therefore, we should walk in the Spirit, denying the flesh's preeminence in our wills. We should take up the cross and follow him. As our testimony embraces the cross, we no longer live but Christ lives in us. As we listen to and obey the Spirit, He directs our lives, communes with us, comforts us, and honors God in us. As those whose hearts have been circumcised through faith in Christ, let us be the children of God in every way by following the Lord and leading others to God's plan for salvation and eternal life.

Hebrews 8:1-7

Hebrews 8:1-7 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:33-34 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all.

Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

How righteous are you? Jesus settled this question long ago: not righteous at all. The Pharisees and Sadducees who followed Jesus around thought themselves very righteous. They thought they pleased God by their outward appearances and actions. But the Sermon on the Mount shows Jesus digging beneath the surface to the motivations of the heart. Since the Jewish people hated Romans, asking them to love their enemies asked the impossible. When Jesus told sexually-motivated creatures to be pure in heart at all times, did He not stretch his point beyond people's biological tendencies and capabilities? At the core of our biological centers are we not programed to resist an evil person? When someone pushes pointed sticks under our fingernails or inflicts some other pain or torture in an attempt to destroy us, will we not naturally resist? Why then did Jesus offer such strict demands? He was pointing out the difference between our sinful nature and God's holiness by revealing attitudes and behaviors we many times fail to recognize as sin. In our imperfection, we are not like God, and we usually do not say, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." As humans, we resist God's plan as we lust, hate, falsify, and commit unfaithfulness. We might even get angry with our mate, implying that he or she is a fool. Many of our thoughts and behaviors are not like God, yet He still loves us and has made a way for us through Christ's sacrifice for sin.

In the Old Testament, God commanded the high priest once a year, on the Day of Atonement, to enter the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. The Jews became acceptable to God on that day, for the blood of slain animals paid the price for their sins. On that Day of Atonement, God forgave the people of the sins they knew they had committed, and the sacrifice also covered their sins of omission, the behaviors they may not have recognized as sin. On that day, through the actions of the high priest in the Holy of Holies, the Jewish people became acceptable to God. The Day of Atonement was the day of righteousness; however, this day could never provide a complete or lasting absolution from sin. Every year the high priest had to enter into the Holy of Holies to once again offer up sacrifices for the people's sins. The Bible says people's hearts are continuously wicked: unholy, unacceptable to God, sinning overtly, covertly, and in ignorance. The Law and all it components revealed our sinful nature but could not change the hearts of men and women.

But Jesus came as the complete and totally efficacious sacrifice to deal with every kind of sin. He is our continuous Day of Atonement, THE DAY OF REST. By faith in his finished work at the cross, we enter into the kingdom of God, the Promised Land. Since Jesus has set us free from sin and death, we are no longer captives to sin, under the shame of God's constant judgment. Christ won the victory for us, making us acceptable to God because we are in him and He in us. Today, one of us might commit a sin, one we do not even recognize, but praise God, our high priest will present us holy before the Father because He paid the price for every sin we will ever commit. Our works or our good intentions cannot make peace with God. Christ alone makes us righteous: acceptable to God. We put our faith and trust in him, believing what John wrote: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 KJV) That means He cleansed me yesterday, He is cleansing me today, and He will cleanse me tomorrow.

What a great salvation we have! Does this mean we should go on sinning? No! If you love Jesus, you will desire to please him with all your heart, soul, and might. If you fail to love him fervently, you will break your word to him and compromise your relationship with him with your fleshly and faithless attitudes and behavior. One of reasons the Holy Spirit is so important in our lives is that he reveals Jesus Christ and the love Jesus has for us. The Spirit teaches us all things concerning our elder brother, Jesus, and how He gave up everything for us. When we truly understand God's love, our hearts and mind will bow in contrition when we know the great price Christ paid for us: the bright and Morning Star of Heaven yielded himself as the perfect sacrifice for our redemption. We will realize that in our imperfection, we are very much dependent on God's goodness, mercy and grace. Praise God, little children, He does change us as He works in us, perfecting us and removing our weaknesses. As we walk in the Holy Spirit, He leads us into all truth and changes us from glory to glory. Rejoice in the Lord today! CHRIST won the victory over sin, assuring your salvation as sons and daughters of your Father in heaven.

Hebrews 8:7-13

Hebrews 8:7-13 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

After making covenant with Abraham, God led his people through the patriarchs and leaders of the community. Through them, God took the Israelites by the hand and led them. He led them to Egypt and He led them out of Egypt, but the people remained dependent on their leaders' understanding of God's will for them. When Moses led them out of Egypt, they questioned Moses' leadership ability and his authority, but in spite of their doubts, they knew God performed miracles through Moses. They also saw the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, leading them in the wilderness. But God led them from the outside, instructing and guiding them through teachers, holy men, and miraculous events. Yet God promised a day would come when He would no longer lead them through others: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. When God's guidance comes only through the words of others or the teaching of spiritual doctrines, men soon go astray. People may have a strong will to obey and follow God, but the flesh is weak. They needed a new covenant.

Moses was distraught when he realized how quickly the children of Israel, even is own relatives, would turn away from following Jehovah. However, the Israelites, including his family, tried to follow God through him. They saw God perform great miracles through Moses' words and by his hands; therefore, they would cling to the God Moses followed. Nonetheless, when Moses removed himself for a short time to receive The Law from God, they quickly turned to other gods. Their God was with Moses: without him, they felt they had no God. Since Moses spoke for God and God honored his words, Moses was their the way to God. Without him, they were as sheep without a shepherd, and they did not remain faithful to God's covenant with Abraham. Forgetting they were chosen people, they turned to the gods of the heathens around them. This spiritual adultery became their modus operandi throughout their recorded history in the Old Testament. Stephen referenced this by saying, "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him--you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it." (Acts 7:51-53)

The old covenant instructed the Jews how to please God, but it could not change their basic nature as lawbreakers. Hebrews proclaims the "good news": Through Jesus Christ, God established a new and better covenant with men by circumcising their hearts and making a way for the Holy Spirit to abide within believers. When we accept Jesus Christ's death as our death and his resurrection as our resurrection, the Holy Spirit transforms us, bringing us from darkness to light. We no longer need men to explain God or to tell us how to please him because as part of the godhead, the HOLY SPIRIT PLEASES THE FATHER GOD ALL OF THE TIME. Jesus said, the kingdom of God is within you. Because Christ is in God and we are in him, we abide in his righteousness and live forever in his kingdom. We do not go to the temple where a priest offers sacrifices as a mediator between us and God; we do not need holy men and the teachers of the Law to find or to know God or to understand his will for us. God himself resides in our hearts, providing a better covenant for all who believe in him. Outside of Christ, people could not fulfill their side of the covenant because they were natural lawbreakers with sin endemic to their souls. In the new covenant, God fulfills both sides of the agreement. The Man, Jesus, fulfilled man's side by completing or fulfilling the law, and God's part of the covenant remains the same: I will bless Abraham and his Seed forever. Under this new covenant through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit empowers us to keep the law, for we are IN CHRIST, cleansed by his blood and acceptable to God. Christians now receive the promise of God--eternal blessing in his presence. Praise God forevermore for his unspeakable gift!

Hebrews 8:1-6

Hebrews 8:1-6 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

God is not a man that He should be mocked. Everyone will someday recognize all that we see in the temple as the truth. God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle exactly as he was told. Moses could not put his own ideas into the building of the tabernacle: he knew God wanted it built to his exact instructions. This is the truth of God's Word. We cannot put our own ideas into the scriptures; we must believe the Holy Spirit inspired men to record God's definitive words to us. God will judge any ideas, doctrines, and expressions of worship that do not conform to the written will of God. HE WILL NOT BE MOCKED. In the Bible, we see the Israelites serving in a sanctuary that was a copy or a shadow of HEAVEN. Worshipping God is serious business. We do not define our faith or decide how we worship; God decides that. We cannot take one part of the scriptures and expand it beyond the spiritual measurements God intended, and we cannot take verses and shrink them into less than God planned. In spirit and in truth, we must worship and serve the God revealed in the scriptures. God will reject all else as a false imitation of the truth.

In our fleshly spirits, we sometimes cavalierly approach God as if He doesn't care how we live or act. We bring him our worst, not our best. We are like the children of Israel. Rather than giving him their best sacrifice, they sometimes brought an injured or imperfect lamb, one that held little benefit for them and would not increase the value of their flocks. God wants our best, our first fruits. We do not offer God our gifts on special occasions or yearly as the Jews did. We abide in the very presence of God through and in Jesus Christ; therefore, we offer him our best, presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to him. The blood of bulls and goats does not stand between us and God, for we continually experience the precious cleansing blood of the perfect Lamb of God who gave himself for us. No longer experiencing the shadow and copy of God's eternal dwelling place, we now dwell with him and boldly come before God's throne of grace. Therefore, children, we should live with reverence toward God and the goodness He has showered on us, gladly serving him and loving others.

To live haphazardly, thinking God will bless us regardless of our attitudes or actions, tempts God's wrath. God is not mocked, and He disciplines his rebellious or wayward children. We cannot choose selfish and sinful living and then run to the Father when we need help. He will not accept our sacrifice of tears when we treat him in this way, ignoring him and giving him less than our best. We should respect the Holy Spirit who woos us to exemplify Christ as we walk this earth. When we disrespect God and rudely push the Holy Spirit out of our self-centered lives, we reveal our lack of love for God. We show disrespect when we do not love and follow God with all our strength and might. We disrespect him if we do not forgive others and love them as we love ourselves. If we walk around bitter and angry towards others, we show contempt for the Spirit and we mock God. We mock God when we build the tabernacle to our own dimensions, when we do not worship as his Word commands. In disobedience, we create our own god, our own religion. God will not tolerate willful disobedience or lukewarm living. If we fail to turn to him in repentance, He will discipline us or WE WILL FALL AWAY FROM THE TRUTH. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. (1 John 1:6 ) The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4) John further beseeches us, Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18) As ambassadors of the true tabernacle in heaven, the holy and pure abode found in Jesus Christ OUR LORD, let us live lives that please God and lead others to him.

Hebrews 7:20-28

Hebrews 7:20-28 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need — one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Because Jesus' priesthood is permanent, He brings us into right standing with God forever. God will never cast us away, will never get tired of us, for He cannot tire of Jesus Christ, The Word, who is part of him. Therefore, God's oaths are forever: The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever." God's words possess permanency beyond our understanding as finite people of many words, some remembered for a time and others quickly forgotten. The Bible says his words will never pass away. Heaven and Earth might pass away, but his words will never end. His creative power, his words, are never ending, eternal. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3) God creates through THE WORD. John 1 tells us God created all things through Jesus Christ. Therefore, in Christ, we are created anew, divinely appointed by God's words for life eternal. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Dear children who are in Christ, God knows each of us by name. Since we know Jesus, He knows us. Today He tells every believer: "You are MINE." In Christ, WE ARE HIS, and we experience the permanency of his oath, for our high priest, our propitiation for sin, is making intercession for us this very moment. He created us and makes us right with the Father as He perfects us for glory. Because of Jesus, God knows our names, and we boldly come before the throne of God with our petitions. We are no longer finite beings, lost in the nothingness of existence, caught in the universe on a speck called Earth, insignificant in all of our proportions. We are no longer wisps of smoke. No, we abide in Jesus, caught up in the presence of the Eternal One, who made all things. God's never changing word makes our lives significant and substantial. The worthless is made priceless by God our Father as Jesus, the Lamb, defends us. We cannot pass away and turn to dust, for God has made us the apple of his eye. We are in the center of God's will because Jesus is the center of his will. The Bible describes Jesus as the bright and Morning Star; He makes heaven sing and rejoice. As Peter stated, the Morning Star has risen in our hearts, and we bring great joy to the heavenlies. We are truly light and salt; angels rejoice in our salvation. As the children of God, we are the choice wine that Jesus created at the end of the banquet.

Children of God, regardless of your circumstances today, lift up your heads, for our redemption draws nigh. This world is not our home. This is not where we settle down, for this world has been contaminated by sin and will face judgment someday. The Bible says the world groans for deliverance from this oppression. We see situations that are not right: good people become ill and die; the righteous suffer; hunger, disease, and wars take the lives of the innocent. Yet the arrogant and the powerful get ahead in life; oftentimes the wicked live long lives while a righteous person might die early. Why? The world is contaminated, a poison patch where sin reigns. Confused by the conundrums of this world, the rational mind will never rise higher than this poison patch. But followers of Christ know the righteous shall live by faith, shall rise above the poison patch to another dimension with God in the spirit. We know Jesus came to save us, to deliver us. He has prepared a heavenly home for those who put their trust in him. God's oath is true: our permanent high priest will deliver us to his throne without spot or wrinkle. We will be with God himself forever. HE KNOWS HIS BELOVED CHILDREN BY NAME.

Hebrews 7:18-19

Hebrews 7:18-19 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Matthew 5:48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect is the gospel. The Law could not make people perfect; it could only show man's sinfulness. The Law revealed God's righteousness, but conversely, the Law revealed man's fallen state under the wrath of God. If we must be perfect, how can we see God or be with him or reveal him to others, for the Bible says all have sinned and gone astray as sheep from a shepherd. If we must be perfect and if the Law cannot make us perfect because it has no power to change us, what can we do to please God? As David knew, we must take refuge in God, hide in him. David was a man after God's own heart, yet scripture show him as flawed man. But, David approached God with a contrite or tender heart. He knew God was his only refuge; he had to depend on God's mercy and grace for forgiveness of his sins. Jesus Christ is our hiding place, our shield and defender, our Redeemer and Lord. Jesus gave his life that we might flee to him, abide in him. He shed his blood and rose again that we might be perfect, clothed in his perfection. No longer exposed to God's wrath as a man in the middle of a violent storm, we trust in our salvation as our lives are hidden with Christ in God.

Neither the law nor our efforts could make us perfect. Peter questioned the Pharisee Christians who wanted to reestablish the Law by circumcising the Gentiles: Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? (Acts 15:10) Peter indicates that none of them were able to follow the Law completely. Rather than releasing them from sin, the Law was a yoke, a heavy burden, a mirror reflecting their sin and confirming their separation from God, for they could not fulfill the law in their hearts. Jesus said, if you even think about breaking the law, such as harboring a lustful or adulterous thought, you have broken all the law because we must be perfect inside and out. God judges our actions and the intent of our hearts. Jesus places an even greater burden on people by declaring if we do not love our enemies, we are not perfect. And imperfection will never enter God's presence. Considering this, who can enter God's dwelling place, his eternal rest? Who can boldly bring their petitions before the throne of God and look forward to eternity with him? The answer is, NO ONE! Outside of God's grace, all fall short of his perfection. However, Hebrews declares, The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. We find this hope in Jesus Christ and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Peter's answer to those who wanted to reestablish the law was, No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved. (Acts 15:11) Jesus makes right with God who then adopts us into his family.

My friend is the Law good? Yes, it is good, for it reveals the nature of God to us by allowing us to understand the purity of God and our sinful nature. But the Law cannot save: only Jesus Christ can rescue us from sin and deliver us perfect and holy to the Father. Therefore, live IN JESUS and stop trying to please God through the Law, through your good deeds or acts of piety, for Jesus fulfilled or completed the demands of the Law by sacrificing himself once and for all in fulfillment of all the demands of the Law. We trust in his works and not our own as we place our lives in his hands and please the Father. As Christ lived, we also should live: as servants, as those who love their neighbor, as those who bless their enemies and do good to their persecutors. Above all else, we should love God with all our hearts, minds, strength, and souls. God conceived a perfect plan to set aside the Law because it could not make us perfect; but IN CHRIST, we are like him, perfect in the eyes of our loving Father God.

Hebrews 7:11-17

Hebrews 7:11-17 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come — one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

As our priest, Jesus stands before the Father forever. He has appeased the wrath of God on sin. As He brings our petitions to the Father, we claim everything we desire, everything we are, through his name. In Jesus' name we pray. Without him, we have no claim to the family of God. IN HIM and THROUGH HIM we have life. Any other belief is not Christianity: salvation comes through him alone. Only Jesus through his sacrifice on the cross could designate himself to take on the authority of ridding man of his sins and placing him in the household of God as holy children of the Father who loves us. Only He could make mankind as He is: holy.

The author of Hebrews reveals that Jesus Christ came through the line of Judah, not through the line of Levi. Therefore, He had no priestly authority under the auspices of the Law. As far as the Law was concerned, Jesus was a fraud, an impostor. Consequently, Jesus had to receive his priestly rights from something or someone greater than Old Testament law. John validates Christ's priestly role because Jesus was with the Father from the beginning: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5) Consequently, Jesus could swear by no one greater than himself, and He could create men anew, allowing them to be born again. He could take away sin and the sting of death from the existence of this new creation. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Born from the lineage of Judah, Jesus was the eternal, once-and-for-all, godly priest with all authority and power from the Father to establish his kingdom within mankind.

We who are IN CHRIST have this hope of eternal life, the hope of adoption, within us. We are not children of bondage; we are not slaves to the consequences of sin because we are free in Christ Jesus. Yet the eternal question remains: will we live as children who have inherited real life, who are free IN CHRIST, or will we live in doubt, fear and regret? If we seek the beggarly elements of this world, we will live in bondage. If we give up on Jesus Christ and his resurrection power and strength, we will live without hope of eternal life. But my Christian friends who endure by faith, we are not without hope regardless of the vicissitudes of life, for we are hidden with Christ in God. Alive IN HIM, we inherit freedom from death, the freedom to rejoice in his name. Martyrs for Christ have faced their deaths with peace in their hearts and songs of joy on their lips.

Are you free to sing for Jesus, or are you so bound by fears and earthly troubles that the joy of the Lord does not escape your lips. Turn to Jesus, giving him every doubt and every problem, thanking him for the life He is perfecting in you. Every day, He heals and sustains us. As we partake of this breakfast, our every breath is his breath. As He frees us from bondage and delivers us from our trespasses and sins, He makes us physically alive today, so we can testify of his love while carrying his message of grace to a dark and sinful world. If He were to remove his hand from our spirits or physical lives, we would perish in that nanosecond. No matter how fit and how healthy we are, CHRIST ALONE MAKES US ALIVE this day as his resurrection power flows through our mortal bodies, infusing us with his LIGHT AND LIFE. I tell you a secret, Christian friend, your running, your exercise, and your commitment to good health do not ensure God's will for you. Paul instructed Timothy to refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. God breathed life into you for his purposes, not yours. Backing off from him or failing to live in his presence rob you of your reason to live. In Christ we forever escape death as we live eternal life in him. As you serve him today, rejoice in his words and praise his name, for you are his beloved and He is yours.

Hebrews 7:1-10

Hebrews 7:1-10 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people — that is, their brothers — even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

As a man, Melchizedek's kingdom and life did not last forever--both ceased. However, the nature of his priesthood did last forever. His priesthood, righteousness, and peace came directly from God. His position as a mediator between man and God, his priestly authority, was exactly like Jesus' position between God and man, but he could not wash away the sins of mankind. Only the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished that. The author of Hebrews contrasts Melchizedek's position and reign with the Jewish priesthood. The Levites received their authority from the Law of Moses while Melchizedek's authority came directly from God's throne. Therefore, Melchizedek's priesthood was greater than the priesthood of the Law. Abraham, whose seed begat Levi, confirmed this by giving his tithe to Melchizedek. The lesser man gave tithes to the greater, and the greater man gave blessings to the lesser. Abraham received the blessing of Melchizedek because his priesthood was in a direct line to God and would never die. God heard this priest's petitions without the requirement of the blood of bulls and goats just as Jesus does not sacrifice animals before petitioning God. The Levitical priesthood in all practical terms has already died out, for their power came from the Law, which Jesus Christ fulfilled through his life, death, and resurrection.

What does Melchizedek have to do with us today? The author of Hebrews makes the case that we are no longer under the auspices of the Law, for we are under a greater priesthood than the Levites. The blood of bulls and goats could not make us right with God, but the blood of Jesus Christ secured our acceptance by God. Jesus stands before Father God as our perfect mediator, where He alone reveals God's face for us. We are blessed by God because Jesus presents our petitions directly to the Father. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have a face-to-face relationship with God. The Levites could not present the Jews directly to God. The best they could do was to stay the wrath of God by covering the Jewish people's sins through the sacrifice of bulls and goats. They came back each year to present the same sacrifices for the sins of men, but Jesus' sacrifice was once and for all. He did not have to die again and again for man's sins; therefore, his priesthood is greater than the Levitical priesthood. Under his priesthood and authority, we possess life eternal because we are now living in his domain, literally IN HIM.

The author of Hebrews desires us to be free from the law of sin and death, the law that could not make us free. The law could only bring us into bondage by revealing our failures. But we are no longer under its authority; we are under the priesthood of Jesus Christ, who set us free from sin and death through his finished work at the cross. We are free to live in Christ, to fulfill his desires for our lives. We are free to live in joy and not fear, for we are no longer under the eternal consequences of sin. Should we go on sinning to prove God's wonderful grace and the efficacy of his blood? No, born-again children of God bring ourselves under the authority of God's righteousness by living lives that reveal his goodness, mercy, and love. Members of God's household do not live good or loving lives to earn our place in the family: we live to reflect God's righteousness and his glory.

If we continue as liars, thieves, or adulterers, will the world see God in our lives? Will the world see God's light and recognize us as his children if we continually live on the dark side of life? No, when people love someone, they desire to please their beloved. If we love Jesus, we will want to please him in everything. We will discipline our lives to honor and to serve him, for we know He is the faithful lover of our souls. Sinful man remains unfaithful in what he says and does, but God is faithful; therefore, we should remain faithful to him. Jesus Christ reflects the eternal order of the Melchizedek priesthood as He stands before God, blessing us. Consequently, we should bless him with our lives. The Bible equates this service with the tithes given to Melchizedek. However, we do not merely give God a tenth, but our whole lives, for He gave us new life through Christ, bringing us into right standing with him. Today, dear brothers and sisters, fall under his authority: trust him, follow him, and live lives that exemplify his goodness and grace. Shine as stars in the universe.

Hebrews 6:16-20

Hebrews 6:16-20 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Do you have hope in the works of Jesus Christ? God gave Abraham the promise that his seed would bless all nations. But he had to wait patiently for this promise to be fulfilled, for his son Isaac was born 25 years after the promise, and his grandsons 85 years after the promise. God tested Abraham's belief that He would fulfill his promise to him. When his hope wavered, he constructed a plan to fulfill God's promise by fathering a descendent through Hagar his servant: Ishmael. But Abraham's decision to fulfill God's promise on his own brought great sorrow, and He finally had to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Disconnected from his father, Ishmael became a wanderer throughout the land and his descendants lived in hostility toward all their brothers. (Genesis 25:15) Abraham's attempt to fulfill God's promise to him through the flesh was such a failure that even today great hostility exists between the Arab people and the Jews. God's plan of salvation, his blessing, does not come through the works of the flesh but through faith in God and his unadulterated will.

My Christian friend, what hope anchors your soul, your life? What makes your Christian life worth living? The author of Hebrews says our hope of blessing rests in Jesus Christ and his works. This hope and confidence in Christ's work at the cross allows believers to enter the inner sanctuary of God where Jesus is. As we put our faith in Jesus Christ, He literally presents us to the Father God because Christ is our eternal advocate who is with the Father and brings us before the throne of God as his blood-bought brothers and sisters. As our High Priest, Christ makes intercession on our behalf. Consequently, Christians possess complete faith and eternal hope in the Christ who dwells in our hearts, Abraham's promised Seed who has blessed all nations, all people, who is worthy of honor and praise.

Although we are still here and our flesh causes us to stumble and to disappoint ourselves and God at times, our hope is not in the works of the flesh, but in the promise. God promised us righteousness, a place of right standing in his eyes. As Abraham, we wait patiently for the fulfillment of the promise in our lives, knowing He will perfect what concerns us and bring us to be with him. We wait in faith, not believing in what is seen, felt, or heard, but intentionally believing that God's promised blessing to Abraham will be fulfilled in us through his Seed. By vicariously living the life of Christ through faith in him, we trust in his righteousness and not our own. Therefore, we do not live in fear, but secure in the knowledge that God's love and acceptance are toward us. We rest in Christ's work, in his righteousness and not ours.

When God swore to make us righteous in Christ, acceptable to him, He could swear by no being higher than himself. He is not a liar, so our hope rests in his words, not in our human experiences or works. Will we reach perfection in our fleshly bodies? No, the flesh remains under judgment because of sin and will die because of sin. No matter how much you pray for your earthly shell or how strongly you believe for this flesh to prosper, the body ages and decays right before our eyes and someday turns to dust in the grave. However, believers have a glorious hope that even though our flesh is not restored, our spirits are. As newly born children of God, full of the Holy Spirit and no longer captive to sin and death, God makes us alive unto him evermore. Since we trust and believe in Jesus Christ, we are his new creation, the children of God. Because Abraham, in his flesh, foolishly attempted to fulfill God's promise of children, the Bible says Ishmael's decendants became slaves, bound to this earth. Works of the flesh do not produce children of God, but slaves. IN CHRIST we are free people, released to God, eternal as He is. As people of the Spirit, we do not rely on the flesh or serve it; we serve God Almighty who loves us. Christian friend, live where God is, not in the flesh. Live in the Spirit, rejoicing in God's sufficiency and not your own. He will never disappoint you because you are his, and He will never leave you. The flesh will disappoint you continually because at best this world only offers pleasure for a season, but the Spirit abides within us forever, giving us an eternally blissful relationship with God.

Hebrews 6:13-15

Hebrews 6:13-15 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Luke 13:28-29 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Have you received your promise from God? Do you know what He has promised? Is it land, a city, descendants? Sometimes Christians do not know what God has promised. God promised Abraham that his seed would bless many nations; consequently, he is called a father of many nations. Of course, his seed has blessed many nations, for out of his loins came Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. God also promised Abraham a land where he and his descendants could dwell in peace. Today, we know this land as Israel, and Jerusalem means the city of peace. But was that land where he lived in tents his land of promise? Would that land fulfill his dreams, make him happy? No! Abraham did not look for a dwelling place made by human hands, he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. His primary destination was not a better life made by men; he looked for the Promised Land, the presence of God. How many of us look for a better land here and now where we can set up our tents and live a life of peace and success? Do we evaluate the worth of our lives by how many positive experiences we have had, or by how much we have accumulated, or by our children's success? Is the promise for pastors a bigger church and a better life for their congregants? What are the promises of God to you and to me?

In Acts 2, Peter says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. THE PROMISE is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.” God clearly promised the Spirit would come to abide in us to be our comforter and guide and to reveal the kingdom of God within us. The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, "Here it is," or "There it is," because the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21) Although God blesses us with many spiritual gifts and we prosper in many ways as we serve him, God's kingdom is not about a better experience here on Earth. It is not a specific place for us to seek on Earth. The kingdom comes to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit who brings us into the land of righteousness, peace, and joy. (Romans 14:17) It is not about eating and drinking or earthly things. Sometimes Christians, even pastors, become confused, believing the promise is about having a more successful life, a prosperous place in this alien land. However, we are sojourners through this land, known as aliens. Although we might become wealthy as the sojourner Abraham did, we might also experience poverty and trials as did Paul and all the disciples. We might become successful and independent, as with Abraham, or we might endure persecution that demands total dependence upon God. Regardless of life's circumstances, we possess the promise of God because through Christ's death and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of heaven resides in every believer. "I have chosen you," says the Lord.

With this knowledge of the promise, even the most successful and wealthy Christian still remains a sojourner. This world is not our home and will not satisfy our longing for God. For us, life is somewhere else, not here. A Christian may be readied for martyrdom, yet even knowing life will end soon, a Christian rejoices for the promise in his heart that God will soon fulfill. The person who dies in Christ will be with God; this is our precious hope, our reason for living. We live to reach that city with foundations, to dwell with God. God gave us the Holy Spirit as an earnest, a down payment on what is to come. The Spirit shows us what heaven is all about and prepares us for service and for our heavenly home by giving us the attributes of God. As He reveals real joy and happiness to us, we realize we are CHOSEN PEOPLE, blessed with all goodness and the peace and rest of God, here and forever. AS CHILDREN OF THE MOST HIGH, our inheritance is God himself. The Levitical priests did not receive land in this life, for God was their inheritance. God did not give us, his beloved children, a land, for He is our inheritance, our abiding place forevermore. Rejoice in his Promise today dear children. Amen.